Apollo Hospitals launches Health EMI Card in tie-up with Bajaj Finserv

1.France to train Indian flight surgeons for Gaganyaan mission

France will train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan.The two-week training is a critical aspect of the Gaganyaan project that is aimed at sending three Indians to space by 2022.

The flight surgeons, who will be Indian Air Force doctors specialising in aviation medicines and responsible for the health of astronauts before, during and after flight, will be shortlisted soon.

The four shortlisted astronauts, all test pilots from the Indian Air Force, are currently in Russia for an 11-month training programme.

2.Procurement of defence equipment worth over Rs 5,000 cr approved to promote indigenisation

Defence Acquisition Council, DAC has approved procurement of equipment worth over five thousand 100 crore rupees from indigenous sources to promote indigenization.They include sophisticated Electronic Warfare Systems for the Army designed by Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO and manufactured locally by the Indian industry.

These systems will be used in deserts and plains and will provide comprehensive Electronic Support and Counter Measure capabilities to the field formations in both communication and other aspects of Electronic Warfare.

The council also approved prototype testing of trawl assemblies designed by DRDO for T-72 and T-90 tanks providing an important indigenous de-mining capability to the Army.

3.Brazil President Bolsonaro to be chief guest at 71st Republic Day

President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro will arrive in New Delhi on a four-day state visit to India.President Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at the 71st Republic Day Parade at RajPath in the national capital on January 26.

He will be accompanied by a delegation consisting of seven Ministers, Chairman of Brazil-India Friendship Group in the Brazilian Parliament.

On 27th of this month, President Bolsonaro will address Indian and Brazilian Business leaders at the India-Brazil Business Forum.

4.Meghalaya Celebrates 48th anniversary of statehood

Meghalaya celebrated the 48th anniversary of statehood day on 21 January.During the British rule of India, the British imperial authorities nicknamed it the “Scotland of the East”.

Meghalaya was previously part of Assam, but on 21 January 1972, the districts of Khasi, Garo and Jaintia hills became the new state of Meghalaya.

Along with Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur also celebrates their Statehood Day on 21 January.

5.Jharia most polluted place in India in 2018, Greenpeace report

Jharia, known worldwide for its underground coal fires, continued to be the most polluted city in the country in 2018, according to Airpocalypse-IV, an annual report released by Greenpeace India.The report, based on analysis of particulate matter data across 287 cities, said Delhi was 10th most polluted city in 2018, an improvement by two ranks as compared to 2017.

Lunglei in Mizoram was the least polluted city in India, followed by Meghalaya’s Dowki, according to the report.

Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh: Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad.

6.Zomato buys Uber Eats in $300 million

Alibaba’s Ant Financial-backed online food delivery and restaurant discovery platform Zomato has acquired Uber Eats for around Rs 2,485 crore ($350 million) in an all-stock deal.The deal gives the ride-hailing app a 10 per cent stake in Zomato.

Notably, Zomato will not absorb Uber Eat employees, which means they will either be absorbed in Uber’s other verticals or could face lay-off.

The deal comes days after Zomato had raised $150 million in funding from existing investor Ant Financial, an Alibaba affiliate.

7.Apollo Hospitals launches Health EMI Card in tie-up with Bajaj Finserv

Bajaj Finserv has launched digitized health EMI cards covering an entire family with a credit limit ranging between Rs 40,000 and Rs 4 lakh.The 0% EMI cards, which will be accepted across all centres of Apollo Hospitals in the country, has a personal accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.

These EMI cards can be availed by people who are covered under health insurance also.

8.RBI cancels certificate of authorisation of Vodafone m-pesa

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that it has cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of Vodafone m-pesa on account of voluntary surrender of authorisation.Following the cancellation of the CoA, the company cannot transact the business of issuance and operation of prepaid payment instruments.

Vodafone m-pesa, a Payment System Operator (PSO), had voluntarily surrendered the authorisation.

Last year, Vodafone Idea had decided to close m-pesa vertical following the closure of Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd (ABIPBL), with which it was being merged.

Vodafone m-pesa was one of the 11 firms that was given payments bank licence by the RBI in 2015.

9.Qatar and FIFA publish planning strategy ahead of the 2022 football World Cup

Qatar and FIFA published the first jointly issued legacy planning strategy ahead of the football World Cup in 2022.FIFA and the Qatari Supreme Committee organisers said in a statement in Doha that it contains pledges on labour and LGBT rights alongside protections for activists and journalists.

A total of 22 objectives have been described in detail, together with more than 70 concrete initiatives and programmes to deliver the strategy.

The 112-page “Sustainability Strategy” also sets out commitments on making the tournament inclusive for groups including the disabled.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup.

It is scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022.

This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world and the first in a Muslim-majority country.

10.Celebrated wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and Paralympian Deepa Malik inducted in AlCS

Celebrated wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and Paralympian Deepa Malik are among the new inductees in the government’s All India Council of Sports (AICS).It is an advisory body to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which was formed in 2015 by the then Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Its term has also been extended by three years and it will continue to be led by veteran sports administrator V K Malhotra as President.

Some other renowned new entrants in the Council are former shooter Anjali Bhagwat, footballer Renedy Singh, and mountaineer Bachendri Pal.

11.Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar, Apurvi Chandela Clinch Gold in Meyton Cup

Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Pawar and Apurvi Chandela have clinched a gold medal each in Meyton Cup in Innsbruck, Austria.The Meyton Cup is a private tournament where shooters go on their own to participate to gain experience before international events.

While Divyansh won the gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event with an effort of 249.7, Auprvi bagged the yellow metal in the 10m air rifle women’s category with a 251.4.

Deepak Kumar and Anjum Moudgil also bagged bronze medals each in men’s and women’s 10m air rifle events respectively.